To the Editor: Ending gridlock in Washington

October 15, 2010

Jobless rates highest since World War II; 500,000 jobs lost per month; American hospitals lose hundreds of billions caring for the uninsured; mass layoffs of health care workers taking place; 11 million unemployed; 41 million without health insurance; two of the three U.S. automakers file for bankruptcy.

This was the reality as the new White House and Congress that took office in 2009. We were in a recession for 20 months at this time and the economy was in collapse. Bush and Congress spent $700 billion in tax dollars to relieve the banks of their “toxic” investments.

Since then, the Republicans have fought tooth and nail against any progress. They have made it clear that failure of the new president is their main priority and their only plan. Their use of the filibuster has reached levels never dreamed of before.

Despite this complete opposition, the stimulus bill saved or created millions of jobs. It gave 98.5 percent of households a tax break. Almost all of us have benefited from the new policies, whether you repaired roads or bridges, or are one of the 300,000 teachers who were called back to work. GM is now profitable again and has called back thousands to work.

Health care reform has begun, signing millions of children to private and public insurances. It prevents insurance companies from dropping us when we get sick and requires that they cover preventative care such as Pap smears and mammograms.

It requires insurance companies spend at least 85 percent of their obscene profits on health care. Hospitals have begun calling back workers. Tell me again why the Republicans opposed this so hard?

Things are slowly getting better. Remember, it took 18 months before jobs started returning after the relatively little recession of 2001. In November, remember who is getting things done, and who is just obstructing progress.